Abstract Background/Objectives To characterize sedative and analgesic use in NICU patients with grade 3 bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in relation to respiratory support and neurodevelopmental therapies. Subjects/Methods Point-prevalence survey across 22 NICUs of infants <24 months corrected age with grade 3 BPD who had never been discharged. Exclusions included recent sepsis, tracheostomy, or major surgery. Data were analyzed descriptively. Results Among 141 infants, 97 (69%) received ≥1 sedative within 48 hours; 73 (75%) received multiple (mean 2.8 ± 1.6). Alpha-agonizts (n=67) and benzodiazepines (n=65) were most common, with 27 infants receiving an alpha-agonist, opioid, and benzodiazepine combination. Sedative exposure and medication count correlated with higher respiratory support (p<0.001) and FiO₂ (r=0.28, p<0.01). Sedation was associated with fewer completed therapy sessions (z=3.3, p<0.001). Conclusion Sedation and polypharmacy were frequent among infants with severe BPD and linked to reduced therapy participation, highlighting the need to assess prescribing rationale and neurodevelopmental impacts.
Davis et al. (Thu,) studied this question.